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Cavaliers' Lopsided Series Win Over Heat Sets Crazy NBA Record

Ryan Phillips

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points in Game 4 of his team's NBA playoff series against the Miami Heat.
Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell scored 22 points in Game 4 of his team's NBA playoff series against the Miami Heat. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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The Cleveland Cavaliers made history Monday night.

Cleveland beat the Miami Heat 138–83 to complete a first-round sweep in what was an incredibly one-sided series. The Cavs were so dominant that they set an NBA playoff record in the series.

The Cavaliers' four-game margin of victory of 122 points is the largest in NBA history. The previous record for most dominant series win was 121 points set by the Denver Nuggets against the then-New Orleans Hornets in 2009.

The 55-point margin of victory in Game 4 was the fourth-largest NBA playoff win ever. The record is 58 and has been accomplished twice.

Cleveland won Game 1 by the final score of 121–100 and took Game 2 121–112. Then the real blowouts began. The Cavs won Game 3 124–87, before winning by 55 in Game 4.

The Cavaliers left no doubt who the better team was. In fact, they beat the Heat so badly Miami has to seriously consider retooling its roster this offseason.

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Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.

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